Node placement service

ABSTRACT

A method, a device, and a non-transitory storage medium provide a node placement service. The node placement service may generate geo-bins pertaining to a radio access network device, a sector of the radio access network device, or a sub-sector. The node placement service may generate time values for the geo-bins based on network information associated with end devices and the geo-bins. The node placement service may also generate return on investment values for the geo-bins based on the network information. The node placement service may use the time values, the return on investment values, or both for radio frequency design of a geo-bin.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/918,203, entitled “NODE PLACEMENT SERVICE” and filed on Jul.1, 2020, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,284,279, issued Mar. 22, 2022, thedisclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Management of a network may relate to a multitude of factors, such asarchitecture, provisioning, network resource modeling, faultsupervision, assurance and performance management, trace management, andother types of network-related supervisory and management-relatedfactors. Network management may include the use of various tools andanalytics to identify issues, faults, and planning.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary environment in which anexemplary embodiment of a node placement service may be implemented;

FIGS. 2A-2D are diagrams illustrating an exemplary process of the nodeplacement service according to an exemplary scenario;

FIG. 2E is a diagram illustrating an exemplary representation of thetime value information;

FIGS. 3A-3C are diagrams illustrating another exemplary process of thenode placement service according to an exemplary scenario;

FIGS. 4A-4C are diagrams illustrating yet another exemplary process ofthe node placement service according to an exemplary scenario;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating exemplary components of a device thatmay correspond to one or more of the devices illustrated herein; and

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process of the nodeplacement service.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the sameor similar elements. Also, the following detailed description does notlimit the invention.

Management of a network, such as a large-scale network, may involveunderstanding the interrelationship between network resources andgeographic locations. For example, a radio access network (RAN), such asa Fourth Generation (4G) RAN, a 4.5G RAN, or a Fifth Generation (5G) RANmay include various RAN devices deployed at various geographiclocations.

Radio frequency (RF) decisions on RAN device placement typically involvenetwork management personnel (e.g., RF engineers or the like) that mayuse a multitude of tools. Various types of information may be used inmaking such decisions, such as local knowledge, propagation models,distance to traffic measurements, and other types of information.However, the relative weights to place on the various types ofinformation for selecting a position of a RAN device can vary widelyamong network management personnel. This may produce inconsistent and/orsub-optimal results. Additionally, other decisions may include whether aprospective location already has sufficient coverage, whether anadditional RAN device may be needed, and other factors relating to RANdevice placement.

Given the ever-increasing number of users and end devices, and thedensification of RAN devices within a locale, accurately identifyingareas to place the RAN device may be a necessary step of a RAN deviceplacement process. For example, RAN devices that may be positioned tooclose to each other may increase interference on the uplink and/or thedownlink and may be an inefficient deployment of resources. By way offurther example, an improperly placed RAN device may not produce adesired signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the downlink to support enddevices, or the end devices may have to increase their uplink power toensure their signal reaches the RAN device, which may increase uplinkinterference relative to a neighboring RAN device.

Decisions surrounding the placement of RAN devices across a RAN may formthe basis for other network planning and management tasks, such asphysical cell identifier (PCI) planning, root sequence identifier (RSI)planning, cell interference management, inter-site distance (ISD)planning, nearest neighbor analysis, RAN device configurations (e.g.,antenna tilt, transmit power, etc.), and other types of networkconsiderations (e.g., cell coverage, etc.).

According to exemplary embodiments, a node placement service isprovided. According to exemplary embodiments, the node placement servicemay provide RAN device placement decisions for a geographic area.According to an exemplary embodiment, the node placement service may beapplied to various types of RAN devices of a RAN, as described herein.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the node placement service may usenetwork information to identify a traffic profile of a geographic areaover a time period. For example, the network information may includeperformance data, geographic data, and other types of information, asdescribed herein.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the node placement service maycalculate a time value based on the volume of traffic associated with ageographic area over the time period and a performance metric. Forexample, the performance metric may include throughput of an uplinkand/or a downlink associated with an end device. According to otherexamples, the performance metric may be different. The granularity ofthe geographic area may be configurable and accommodate the positioningof low power RAN devices and ultra-densification of various RAN devices,as described herein.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the node placement service mayprioritize geographic areas based on the time values associated witheach geographic area. For example, a geographic area with a high timevalue or that satisfies a threshold value may be prioritized overanother geographic area with a lower time value or that does not satisfythe threshold value. According to an exemplary embodiment, theprioritization may be based on a revenue score value associated with thegeographic areas and/or other criterion, as described herein.

In view of the foregoing, the node placement service may improve RFnetwork planning and optimization. For example, the node placementservice may identify and accurately map geographic locations where theRAN device may be positioned based on usage behavior and other factors.

The node placement service may also improve the outcome of other networkmanagement tasks that may be based on RAN device placement. The nodeplacement service may minimize the introduction of variances due tohuman influence regarding RAN device placement decisions.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary environment 100 in whichan exemplary embodiment of the node placement service may beimplemented. As illustrated, environment 100 includes a network 105, anetwork device 110, and a user device 150. Environment 100 includes alink 120 between network 105 and user device 150.

As further illustrated, for description purposes, environment 100 mayfurther include an access network 130 and end devices 140-1 through140-X (also referred to as end devices 140, or individually or generallyas end device 140). Access network 130 and end devices 140 relate to thenode placement service, as described herein.

Network 105 includes one or multiple networks of one or multiple types.For example, network 105 may be implemented to include an access network(e.g., a RAN, a WiMax network, a Wi-Fi network, etc.), a core network,an optical network, the Internet, a mobile network, a wired network, alocal area network (LAN), a service provider network, a network providernetwork, a private Internet Protocol (IP) network, an application layernetwork, a cloud network, a virtual network, and/or another type ofnetwork.

Network device 110 may include a device that has computational andcommunicative capabilities. According to some exemplary implementations,network device 110 may be included in an operations support system(OSS), a business support system (BSS), or other type of support system.According to an exemplary embodiment, network device 110 includes logic,in whole or in part, that provides the node placement service, asdescribed herein.

According to an exemplary embodiment, network device 110 may store,manage, and/or have access to information that supports the nodeplacement service, as described herein. According to an exemplaryembodiment, the information may include map information. For example,the map information may include a map of a geographic area (e.g.,country, state, county, city, town, province, region, city blocks,locale, portion thereof, or other type of region). According to anexemplary implementation, the map information may also includeinformation pertaining to where RAN devices of access network 130 may besituated in a geographic area, as well as other information pertainingto access network 130, RAN devices, and/or other network elements (e.g.,optical fiber, backhaul network, fronthaul network, etc.).

According to an exemplary embodiment, the information that supports thenode placement service may include network information. For example,various system tools and/or network servers (not illustrated), such asTrueCall® and/or other monitoring and/or analytics systems that mayobtain network information pertaining to network traffic (e.g., uplinkand/or downlink traffic) associated with access network 130 and enddevices 140. The network information may include end device records thatmay indicate traffic or sessions data and performance data (e.g., KeyPerformance Indicators (KPIs), network performance metrics thatcorrelate to Quality of Experience (QOE), Mean Opinion Score (MOS),Quality of Service (QoS) values, etc.) associated with end devices 140.For example, the performance data may indicate values relating to theperformance associated with user sessions, connections, channels,messaging (e.g., protocol level, etc.), bit rates, packet error lossrates, and other performance indicators (e.g., throughputs, etc.) of thewireless service in relation to RAN devices and/or access network 130.The end device records may include geographic information (e.g.,latitude/longitude values, location values, etc.) pertaining to enddevices 140 and the size of the communications (e.g., bytes, Kilobytes,Megabytes, Gigabytes, etc.) associated with the user sessions.

According to various exemplary embodiments, the network information maypertain to a single RAN device, multiple RAN devices (e.g., a subset ofall RAN devices), or all RAN devices of access network 130.Additionally, or alternatively, the network information may pertain toRAN devices associated with other types of criteria, such as carrier(e.g., carrier frequency, sector of a cell, etc.), type of radio accesstechnology (RAT), geographic location of RAN device, time period (e.g.,day, day and time period, etc.), type of RAN device (e.g., evolved NodeB (eNB), next generation Node B (gNB), and/or other types of RANdevices, as described herein), and/or other types of factors (e.g., cityversus rural, high versus low density, etc.) that may indicate acharacteristic or an attribute pertaining to the RAN device.

The network information may also include information reported by enddevices 140, such as quality measurement information. For example, thequality measurement information may include a Reference Signal ReceivePower (RSRP) value, a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), aReference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) value, or an analogous type ofmeasurement, such as an SNR, a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio(SINRs), or another type of channel condition value.

Network device 110 may store, manage, and/or have access to informationpertaining to RAN devices of access network 130. The information storedby network device 110 may include location information pertaining to aRAN device. For example, the location information may include geographiccoordinates (e.g., latitude/longitude values) of a geographic coordinatesystem (GCS), or coordinate values associated with another type ofcoordinate system (e.g., a projected coordinate system (PCS), etc.). Theinformation may also include other parameter values relating to azimuth,vertical angle, elevation, and/or other similar parameter values. Theinformation may store other types of information relating to variouscomponents of the RAN device, such as antennas (e.g., height, geographiclocation, number, type, gain, transmit loss, receive loss, receivesignal, fade margin (e.g., thermal, effective, etc.)), and othercharacteristics or configurations of the RAN device.

Link 120 may include one or multiple communication links via which userdevice 150 and network device 110 may communicate with each other. Forexample, link 120 may include a wireless link, a wired link, and/or anoptical link.

User device 150 may include a device that has computational andcommunicative capabilities. User device 150 may be implemented as acomputer, a terminal device, or another suitable end user device.According to an exemplary embodiment, user device 150 includes logic, inwhole or in part, that provides the node placement service. For example,user device 150 may include software that performs an operation or aprocess of the node placement service. The software may includegraphical user interfaces that provide an interactive environment for auser (not illustrated) in support of the node placement service. Userdevice 150 may include software that permits user device 150 to queryand/or retrieve information stored by or accessible to network device110, as described herein. User device 150 may include software for RANplanning and design, and/or other tools that may support the nodeplacement service, as described herein.

As described, the node placement service may pertain to access network130 and end devices 140. Access network 130 may be implemented toinclude a next generation RAN (e.g., a Fifth Generation (5G) or newradio (NR) RAN)), another type of future generation RAN, a FourthGeneration (4G) RAN (e.g., an Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio AccessNetwork (E-UTRAN) of a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network), a 4.5G RAN(e.g., an E-UTRAN of an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network), a RAN of an LTE-APro network, and/or another type of RAN (e.g., a legacy Third Generation(3G) RAN, etc.).

Depending on the implementation, the RAN devices of access network 130may include one or multiple types of network devices. For example, theRAN devices may include a gNB, an eNB, an evolved LTE (eLTE) eNB, aremote radio head (RRH), a baseband unit (BBU), a centralized unit (CU),a distributed unit (DU), a future generation wireless access device, oranother type of wireless node that provides a wireless access service.According to some exemplary implementations, the RAN device may includea combined functionality of multiple radio access technologies (RATs)(e.g., 4G, 4.5G, 5G functionality). Also, access network 130 may beimplemented to include various architectures of wireless service, suchas, for example, macrocell, microcell, femtocell, picocell, metrocell,NR cell, LTE cell, or another type of architecture. Additionally, accessnetwork 130 may be implemented according to various wirelesstechnologies (e.g., RATs, etc.), wireless standards, wirelessfrequencies/bands/carriers (e.g., centimeter (cm) wave, millimeter (mm)wave, below 6 GHz, above 6 GHz, licensed radio spectrum, unlicensedradio spectrum, NR low band, NR mid-band, NR high band, etc.), and/orother attributes of radio communication.

End device 140 may include a device that has computational and wirelesscommunicative capabilities. Depending on the implementation, end device140 may be a mobile device, a portable device, a stationary device, adevice operated by a user (e.g., user equipment (UE), etc.), or a devicenot operated by a user (e.g., an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.).For example, end device 140 may be implemented as a smartphone, a mobilephone, a personal digital assistant, a tablet, a netbook, a phablet, awearable device (e.g., a watch, glasses, etc.), a computer, a device ina vehicle, a gaming device, a music device, an IoT device, or other typeof wireless device. End device 140 may be configured to execute varioustypes of software (e.g., applications, programs, etc.). The number andthe types of software may vary among end devices 140.

A network device, such as network device 110, may be implementedaccording to a centralized computing architecture, a distributedcomputing architecture, or a cloud computing architecture (e.g., anelastic cloud, a private cloud, a public cloud, etc.). Additionally,user device 150 and/or network device 110 may be implemented accordingto one or multiple network architectures (e.g., a client device, aserver device, a peer device, a proxy device, and/or a cloud device).

The number of devices, the number of networks, and the configuration inenvironment 100 are exemplary. According to other embodiments,environment 100 may include additional devices, fewer devices, and/ordifferently arranged devices, than those illustrated in FIG. 1 . Forexample, according to other embodiments, environment 100 may not includeuser device 150 or network 105, network device 110, and link 120.

FIGS. 2A-2D are diagrams illustrating an exemplary process 200 of thenode placement service. Referring to FIG. 2A, according to an exemplaryscenario, network device 110 may receive network information pertainingto a period of time 207 and a geographic area associated with accessnetwork 130 and end devices 140. The period of time may be configurable.For example, the time period may be for a month or a different timeperiod.

Network device 110 may receive map information of relevance to thenetwork information 210. For example, the map information may include ageographic area associated with the locations of end devices 140 and awireless service provided by one or multiple RAN devices of accessnetwork 130.

Referring to FIG. 2B, network device 110 may generate geo-bins based onthe network information and the map information 215. For example, thegeo-bins may be generated based on a Military Grid Reference System(MGRS) or other type of grid system. The size (e.g., area) and/or shapeof each geo-bin may be configurable. For example, the shape of thegeo-bin may be a square, a rectangle, a polygon, or other type of shape,and the area may be 100 meters or some other value. The size and/or theshape of the geo-bin may depend on the types of RAN devices (e.g., eNBversus gNB) and/or attributes of the RAN devices (e.g., antennaconfiguration) to which the network information pertains. According toan exemplary implementation, the size of the geo-bin may be about thesame size or smaller than the cell's coverage area. According to anotherexemplary implementation, the size of the geo-bin may be about the samesize or smaller than a sector's coverage area associated with the RANdevice. According to yet other exemplary implementations, the size ofthe geo-bin may be about the same size or smaller than a planar array ofantenna's coverage area or a set of antenna's (e.g., single or multipleantennas) coverage area. The RAN device of access network 130 mayinclude one or multiple sectors or antennas. The antenna may beimplemented according to various configurations, such as single inputsingle output (SISO), single input multiple output (SIMO), multipleinput single output (MISO), multiple input multiple output (MIMO),massive MIMO, three dimensional (3D) beamforming (also known asfull-dimensional MIMO), 2D beamforming, antenna spacing, tilt (relativeto the ground), a radiation pattern, directivity, elevation, and soforth. Each of the geo-bins may include their respective networkinformation associated with end devices 140. For example, the locationinformation of end devices 140 may allow a mapping of the networkinformation (e.g., traffic, etc.) to a geo-bin. Additionally, eachgeo-bin may be associated with an identifier. For example, each geo-binmay have a unique value (e.g., numerical, a string value, etc.) thatprovides a segmentation of a geographic area subject to the nodeplacement service.

As further illustrated, process 200 may include network device 110calculating a performance value for each geo-bin 220. According to anexemplary embodiment, the performance value may include a throughputvalue. For example, the performance value may include a downlinkthroughput value, an uplink throughput value, or both. According toanother example, the performance value may include an average throughputvalue based on the time period and the network information associatedwith each geo-bin. According to other exemplary embodiments, theperformance value may include other types of performance metrics (e.g.,packet drop rates, latency, error rate, or another QoS parameter).

Referring to FIG. 2C, network device 110 may calculate a data volumevalue for each geo-bin 225. For example, the data volume value mayinclude a forward data volume value, a reverse data volume value, orboth. The data volume value may indicate a total amount of datatransmitted and/or received within the geo-bin. As further illustrated,network device 110 may calculate a time value for each geo-bin based onthe data volume value and the performance value 230. For example,network device 110 may calculate the time value based on the exemplaryexpression:T=DV/Throughput  (1),where T indicates the time value, DV indicates a data volume value, andThroughput indicates a throughput value (amount of data/time). As such,the time value may indicate the length of time the resources of the RANdevice associated with the geo-bin are engaged.

Referring to FIG. 2D, network device 110 may generate time valueinformation for each geo-bin 235. Network device 110 may calculate asummation of the time values attributable to end devices 140 ofrelevance for each geo-bin. For example, each geo-bin may be associatedwith a time value. The time value may be in seconds or some other unitof time measurement. The geo-bins and associated time value informationmay be used by the node placement service. For example, the time valuemay be used to prioritize the geo-bins relating to an RF plan, such asmigrating from 4G service to 5G service, supplementing a sector or othergeographic area associated with a RAN device with additional and/ordifferent carrier nodes (e.g., low coverage/power nodes, small cellnodes (e.g., picocell, femtocell, relay nodes, etc.), in-buildingdistributed antenna systems (iDAS), outdoor DAS (oDAS), 5G ultra-wideband (UWB) nodes, Citizens Broadcast Radio Service (CBRS) nodes,Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) nodes, C-band nodes, etc.). According tothis example, given the relationship between DV and Throughput, the timevalues may indicate various gradations of performance or userexperience. For example, given the ratio between data volume andthroughput, high time values may indicate low performance or userexperience and low time values may indicate high performance or userexperience. In this regard, geo-bins with high time values may betargeted for adjustment of their current radio frequency design, whilegeo-bins with low time values may not be targeted for any adjustment ofthe current radio access deployment. This information may be calculatedand stored to provide a signature of the current radio frequency designand isolate any coverage areas that may need to be addressed and/orimproved by way of re-design (e.g., future placement of radio accessnodes, etc.).

According to some exemplary embodiments, the variations of time valuesamong different geo-bins of a geographic area may be represented ingraphical user interface. For example, the time values may berepresented numerically, by variations in color, or other types ofindicators. FIG. 2E is a diagram illustrating an exemplaryrepresentation 250 of geo-bins 255-1 through 255-4 (also referred to asgeo-bins 255, or individually or generally as geo-bin 255). The numberand shape of geo-bin 255 are exemplary. Geo-bins 255 may pertain to aRAN device's coverage area at a cell, sector, or sub-sector level, inwhole or in part. As illustrated in this example, the time valuesassociated with each geo-bin may be indicated by way of color orshading. Other representations of the time value of geo-bin 255 may beimplemented. Geo-bins 255 may also be represented as an overlay to mapinformation. A process in which the node placement service may use thetime value information is further described below.

Although FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a process ofthe node placement service, according to other exemplary scenarios, thenode placement service may perform additional operations, feweroperations, and/or different operations than those illustrated anddescribed.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating another exemplary process 300of the node placement service. Referring to FIG. 3A, process 300 may besimilar to that of process 200 of FIG. 2A, and will not be repeated forthe sake of brevity. Referring to FIG. 3B, similar to step 215 of FIG.2B, network device 110 may generate geo-bins based on the network andmap information 315. Also, network device 110 may calculate a return oninvestment (ROI) value for each end device 140 and geo-bin of relevance320. For example, the network information may include an identifier ofend device 140, such as mobile directory number (MDN), an InternationalMobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), a media access control (MAC) address,a Subscription Concealed Identifier (SUPI), or another type of (unique)identifier of end device 140. The identifier of end device 140 may becorrelated with the data volume value associated with the geo-bin ofrelevance. Additionally, the monetary amount of a subscription to thewireless service associated with end device 140 may be determined (e.g.,via a billing system). Network device 110 may calculate the ROI valuefor geo-bins of relevance associated with end device 140. As an example,Table I illustrates exemplary information in support of the ROI valuecalculation. The type of information and the values are exemplary.

TABLE I Geo-bin Data Volume Data ID (MBs) Volume % ROI ($)  1 100 6.2  5.03  2 150 9.43  7.55  3  50 3.14  2.52  4 500 31.45   25.16  5  251.57  1.26  6  40 2.52  2.01  7 275 17.3    13.84  8 125 7.86  6.29  9225 14.15% 11.32 10 100  6.29% 5.03

Referring to Table I, assume for a particular end device 140, a user hasa subscription plan of $80/month. Also, assume for step 305, the networkinformation received relates to a time period of 1 month, and during themonth, the user was located within geo-bins, which are identified as1-10, and had the associated data usage (e.g., data volume). Based onthis information, network device 110 may calculate an ROI value for eachgeo-bin of relevance to this user/end device 140. Network device 110 maycalculate ROI values for other users/end devices 140 in relation togeo-bins of relevance, and sum the ROI values belonging to the samegeo-bin.

Referring to FIG. 3C, network device 110 may generate ROI valueinformation for each geo-bin 235. Network device 110 may calculate asummation of the ROI values attributable to end devices 140 of relevancefor each geo-bin. In this way, each geo-bin may be associated with anROI value. The geo-bins and associated ROI value information may be usedby the node placement service. For example, the ROI value may be used toprioritize the geo-bins relating to an RF plan, such as migrating from4G service to 5G service, supplementing a sector or other geographicarea associated with a RAN device with additional and/or differentcarrier nodes. According to some exemplary embodiments, the variationsof ROI values (or other types of values) among different geo-bins of ageographic area may be represented in graphical user interface. Forexample, the ROI values may be represented numerically, variations incolor, or other types of indicators. For example, similar to thatpreviously illustrated and described in relation to FIG. 2E, ROI values(or other values) associated with geo-bins 255 may be represented via agraphical user interface. The graphical user interface may be used by auser of user device 150 to identify geo-bins 255 that may be subject toa (candidate) RF design and/or the node placement service. Additionally,when both the time value information and the monetary value informationare used, the graphical user interface may include a representation ofboth values for each geo-bin, including for example, numerically, coloror shading, or other types of indicators. A process in which the nodeplacement service may use the monetary value information is furtherdescribed below.

Although FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a process ofthe node placement service, according to other exemplary scenarios, thenode placement service may perform additional operations, feweroperations, and/or different operations than those illustrated anddescribed.

As described herein, according to various exemplary embodiments, thenode placement service may use the time value information, the ROI valueinformation, or both, relating to RF planning, such as node placement.According to some exemplary embodiments, when both types of informationare used, the time value information and the monetary value informationmay be equally weighted. According to other exemplary embodiments, whenboth types of information are used, the time value information and themonetary value information may not be equally weighted. The nodeplacement service may be configured to prioritize some geo-bins overother geo-bins based on their time values and/or ROI values. Accordingto an exemplary embodiment, the prioritization may relate to whichgeo-bins are subject to an RF design.

There are a multitude of factors or criteria (e.g., poor userexperience, migration to NR, a threshold time value not met, congestion,etc.) that may be used as a basis for triggering the new RF design thatare not exhaustively described in this disclosure. Additionally, the newRF design may involve a multitude of factors or criteria (e.g., theselection of RAN devices, the number of RAN devices, a budget, the sizeof the geographic area subject to the new RF design, a coverage targetof a geographic area (e.g., 80% or some other percentage), propagationmodeling, etc.) that are not exhaustively described in this disclosure.

According to some exemplary embodiments, the triggering of the new RFdesign may be performed in automated manner (e.g., by network device 110and/or user device 150), in whole or in part, based on the time valueinformation and/or the ROI value information associated with a geo-bin.For example, the time value information and/or the ROI value informationmay be analyzed relative to one or multiple threshold values (e.g., athreshold time value, a threshold ROI value, etc.). According to otherexamples, other factors may be used, apart from or in combination withthe time value information and/or the ROI value information, as a basisfor triggering the new RF design. According to other exemplaryembodiments, the triggering of the new RF design may be initiated solelyby a user of user device 150, by a combination of the user and arecommendation by network device 110 and/or user device 150, oraccording to other procedures implemented by a service provider, anetwork provider, or other type of entity.

FIGS. 4A-4C are diagrams that illustrate yet another exemplary process400 of the node placement service. According to this exemplary scenario,assume that network device 110 has generated both time value informationand ROI value information. However, according to other exemplaryscenarios this may not be the case.

Referring to FIG. 4A, network device 110 may provide the time valueinformation and the ROI value information 405. For example, a user 402may access network device 110, via an application of user device 150, toreview a geographic area of access network 130 and end devices 140. Forexample, the application of user device 150 may be an RF planning toolapplication that supports a graphical user interface. The time valueinformation and the ROI value information may be depicted, via thegraphical user interface, as an overlay (e.g., in geo-bins) to mapinformation associated with the geographic area.

Based on the time value information and the ROI value information, user402 may select geo-bins subject to a new RF design 410. For example,user 402 may review the time value information and/or the ROI valueinformation and determine whether the new RF design is triggered and/orwhat geo-bins (or geographic area) may be subject to the new RF designand node placement service. By way of further example, user 402 mayidentify geo-bins that are above a certain time value or have aparticular color or other indicator, which may be indicative of a userexperience level that may need a new RF design. User 402 may alsoidentify geo-bins that may be below a user experience level and have ROIvalues that are relatively high or satisfy a certain threshold value orlevel.

Referring to FIG. 4B, user device 150 may calculate an RF design basedon the selected geo-bins 415. For example, an automated cell planner orother type of RF planning tool may generate RF design information. Userdevice 150 may collaboratively generate the RF design with networkdevice 110 (e.g., client and server process). The RF design may addressthe user experience level associated with the selected geo-bins. As anexample, different carrier nodes (e.g., low coverage/power nodes, smallcell nodes (e.g., picocell, femtocell, relay nodes, etc.), iDAS, oDAS,5G UWB nodes, CBRS nodes, LAA nodes, C-band nodes, etc.), may beoptimally placed to off-load usage associated with the selected geo-binsand existing RAN device (e.g., eNB, etc.) and perhaps reduce usage forneighboring geo-bins and associated RAN device(s). The optimization maybe based on the time value information associated with geo-bins and theRF design. For example, the optimization may include generatingestimated time values and/or ROI values for selected geo-bins. Theoptimization may also include generating estimated time values and/orROI values for geo-bins neighboring the selected geo-bins or morebroadly at a sector level, a cell level, or even a larger geographicarea.

The generation of the RF design information may include an iterativeprocess based on different carrier nodes used, their placement, andother criteria applicable to the new RF design.

Referring to FIG. 4C, user device 150 may output the RF designinformation 420. For example, user device 150 may output the RF designinformation, via a graphical user interface, for review by user 402.User 402 may modify and/or approve the RF design, or request thatanother RF design be calculated or generated. According to this example,assume that user 402 provides user device 150 an indication of approvalof the RF design information 425. Thereafter, various types of personnelmay execute the RF design, which may include securing (e.g., leasing,etc.) the target locations for placement of the prospective RAN devices,purchasing the RAN devices, scheduling installations, and so forth.

Although FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a process ofthe node placement service, according to other exemplary scenarios, thenode placement service may perform additional operations, feweroperations, and/or different operations than those illustrated anddescribed. For example, network device 110 and/or user device 150 mayinclude logic that compares time value information and/or ROI valueinformation of a geo-bin to a threshold value to determine whether a newRF design is triggered. Alternatively, for example, user 402 incombination with a recommendation from network device 110 and/or userdevice 150 may form the basis to determine whether a new RF design istriggered. Additionally, or alternatively, other operations of process400 may be partially or wholly automated. According to yet anotherexample, the RF design may be based on only the time value informationor only on the ROI value information. For example, an entity may want tomigrate from 4G to NR in a geographic area and may select geo-bins thatmay suffer from poor user experience or may have high ROI values. Othercircumstances and/or situations may be envisioned.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating exemplary components of a device 500that may correspond to one or more of the devices described herein. Forexample, device 500 may correspond to network device 110, RAN devices ofaccess network 130, end device 140, user device 150, and other systems,as described herein. As illustrated in FIG. 5 , device 500 includes abus 505, a processor 510, a memory/storage 515 that stores software 520,a communication interface 525, an input 530, and an output 535.According to other embodiments, device 500 may include fewer components,additional components, different components, and/or a differentarrangement of components than those illustrated in FIG. 5 and describedherein.

Bus 505 includes a path that permits communication among the componentsof device 500. For example, bus 505 may include a system bus, an addressbus, a data bus, and/or a control bus. Bus 505 may also include busdrivers, bus arbiters, bus interfaces, clocks, and so forth.

Processor 510 includes one or multiple processors, microprocessors, dataprocessors, co-processors, controllers, programmable logic devices,chipsets, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specificinstruction-set processors (ASIPs), system-on-chips (SoCs), centralprocessing units (CPUs) (e.g., one or multiple cores), microcontrollers,and/or some other type of component that interprets and/or executesinstructions and/or data. Processor 510 may be implemented as hardware(e.g., a microprocessor, etc.) and may include one or multiple memories(e.g., cache, etc.). Processor 510 may include a dedicated element(e.g., a dedicated microprocessor) and/or a non-dedicated element (e.g.,a non-dedicated/shared microprocessor, etc.).

Processor 510 may control the overall operation or a portion ofoperation(s) performed by device 500. Processor 510 may perform one ormultiple operations based on an operating system and/or variousapplications or computer programs (e.g., software 520). Processor 510may access instructions from memory/storage 515, from other componentsof device 500, and/or from a source external to device 500 (e.g., anetwork, another device, etc.). Processor 510 may perform an operationand/or a process based on various techniques including, for example,multithreading, parallel processing, pipelining, interleaving, etc.

Memory/storage 515 includes one or multiple memories and/or one ormultiple other types of storage mediums. For example, memory/storage 515may include one or multiple types of memories, such as, random accessmemory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), cache, read onlymemory (ROM), a programmable read only memory (PROM), a static randomaccess memory (SRAM), a single in-line memory module (SIMM), a dualin-line memory module (DIMM), a flash memory (e.g., a NAND flash, a NORflash, etc.), and/or some other type of memory. Memory/storage 515 mayinclude a hard disk (e.g., a magnetic disk, an optical disk, amagneto-optic disk, a solid state disk, etc.), and/or ananotechnology-based storage medium. Memory/storage 515 may include adrive for reading from and writing to the storage medium.

Memory/storage 515 may be external to and/or removable from device 500,such as, for example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) memory stick, adongle, a hard disk, mass storage, off-line storage, or some other typeof storing medium (e.g., a compact disk (CD), a digital versatile disk(DVD), a Blu-Ray disk (BD), etc.). Memory/storage 515 may store data,software, and/or instructions related to the operation of device 500.

Software 520 includes an application or a program that provides afunction and/or a process. Software 520 may also include firmware,middleware, microcode, hardware description language (HDL), and/or otherform of instructions. As an example, with reference to network device110, software 520 may include an application that, when executed byprocessor 510, manages a database or other repository that stores,manages, and/or has access to the information (e.g., networkinformation, end device reports, etc.) and provides the node placementservice, as described herein. According to another example, withreference to user device 150, software 520 may include an applicationthat, when executed by processor 510, provides the node placementservice, as described herein.

Communication interface 525 permits device 500 to communicate with otherdevices, networks, systems, and/or the like. Communication interface 525includes one or multiple interfaces of one or multiple types (e.g.,optical, wireless, wired). Communication interface 525 may include oneor multiple transmitters and receivers, or transceivers. Communicationinterface 525 may operate according to a protocol stack and acommunication standard. Communication interface 525 may include anantenna. Communication interface 525 may include various processinglogic or circuitry (e.g., multiplexing/de-multiplexing, filtering,amplifying, converting, error correction, etc.).

Input 530 permits an input into device 500. For example, input 530 mayinclude a keyboard, a mouse, a display, a touchscreen, a touchlessscreen, a button (e.g., a power button, a disaster recovery button, avirtual button, etc.), a switch, an input port, speech recognitionlogic, and/or some other type of visual, auditory, tactile, etc., inputcomponent. Output 535 permits an output from device 500. For example,output 535 may include a speaker, a display, a touchscreen, a touchlessscreen, a light, an output port, and/or some other type of visual,auditory, tactile, etc., output component.

Device 500 may perform a process and/or a function, as described herein,in response to processor 510 executing software 520 stored bymemory/storage 515. By way of example, instructions may be read intomemory/storage 515 from another memory/storage 515 (not shown) or readfrom another device (not shown) via communication interface 525. Theinstructions stored by memory/storage 515 cause processor 510 to performa process described herein. Alternatively, for example, according toother implementations, device 500 performs a process described hereinbased on the execution of hardware (processor 510, etc.).

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process 600 of thenode placement service. According to various exemplary embodiments,network device 110 and/or user device 150 may perform steps of process600. For example, processor 510 may execute software 520 to perform astep illustrated in FIG. 6 and described herein. Alternatively, a stepillustrated in FIG. 6 and described herein, may be performed byexecution of only hardware. Further, a step may be only partiallyperformed by the execution of software 520 or only hardware.

Referring to FIG. 6 , in block 605, network device 110 may receivenetwork information and map information pertaining to an access network(e.g., access network 130) and end devices (e.g., end devices 140).

In block 610, network device 110 may generate geo-bins based on thenetwork and map information. The size of the geo-bins may be about thesame size or smaller relative to the RAN's cell coverage, sectorcoverage, or antenna coverage, as previously described.

In block 615, network device 110 may generate at least one of time valueinformation or ROI value information for the geo-bins. For example,network device 110 may generate the time value information based on thedata volume values and throughput values, as described herein.Additionally, for example, network device 110 may generate the ROI valueinformation based on the billing information associated with the networkinformation and the geo-bins. Network device 110 may also prioritize thegeo-bins based on their respective time values and/or ROI values.

In block 620, network device 110 may determine that a new RF design istriggered based on the least one of the time value information or theROI value information associated with at least a portion of thegeo-bins.

In block 625, network device 110 may generate the new RF design for theportion of the geo-bins. Network device 110 may generate the new RFdesign based on new estimated time values and/or ROI values for theportion of the geo-bins. Network device 110 may also generate newestimated time values and/or ROI values of geo-bins that may beneighbors to (at least) the portion of the geo-bins or other dimensionof geo-bins, as described herein.

FIG. 6 illustrate an exemplary process 600 of the node placementservice, however, according to other embodiments, process 600 mayinclude additional operations, fewer operations, and/or differentoperations than those illustrated in FIG. 6 and described herein.

The foregoing description of embodiments provides illustration but isnot intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the preciseform disclosed. In the preceding description, various embodiments havebeen described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However,various modifications and changes may be made thereto, and additionalembodiments may be implemented, without departing from the broader scopeof the invention as set forth in the claims that follow. The descriptionand drawings are accordingly to be regarded as illustrative rather thanrestrictive.

In addition, while a series of blocks has been described with regard tothe process illustrated in FIG. 6 , the order of the blocks may bemodified according to other embodiments. Further, non-dependent blocksmay be performed in parallel. Additionally, other processes and/oroperations described in this description may be modified and/ornon-dependent operations may be performed in parallel.

As set forth in this description and illustrated by the drawings,reference is made to “an exemplary embodiment,” “an embodiment,”“embodiments,” etc., which may include a particular feature, structure,or characteristic in connection with an embodiment(s). However, the useof the phrase or term “an embodiment,” “embodiments,” etc., in variousplaces in the specification does not necessarily refer to allembodiments described, nor does it necessarily refer to the sameembodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments necessarilymutually exclusive of other embodiment(s). The same applies to the term“implementation,” “implementations,” etc.

Embodiments described herein may be implemented in many different formsof software executed by hardware. For example, a process or a functionmay be implemented as “logic,” a “component,” or an “element.” Thelogic, the component, or the element, may include, for example, hardware(e.g., processor 510, etc.), or a combination of hardware and software(e.g., software 520).

Embodiments have been described without reference to the specificsoftware code because the software code can be designed to implement theembodiments based on the description herein and commercially availablesoftware design environments and/or languages. For example, varioustypes of programming languages including, for example, a compiledlanguage, an interpreted language, a declarative language, or aprocedural language may be implemented.

The terms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to be interpreted to includeone or more items. Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to beinterpreted as “based, at least in part, on,” unless explicitly statedotherwise. The term “and/or” is intended to be interpreted to includeany and all combinations of one or more of the associated items. Theword “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example.” Anyembodiment or implementation described as “exemplary” is not necessarilyto be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments orimplementations.

Use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., in theclaims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote anypriority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another, thetemporal order in which acts of a method are performed, the temporalorder in which instructions executed by a device are performed, etc.,but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having acertain name from another element having a same name (but for use of theordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements.

Additionally, embodiments described herein may be implemented as anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores data and/orinformation, such as instructions, program code, a data structure, aprogram module, an application, a script, or other known or conventionalform suitable for use in a computing environment. The program code,instructions, application, etc., is readable and executable by aprocessor (e.g., processor 510) of a device. A non-transitory storagemedium includes one or more of the storage mediums described in relationto memory/storage 515. The non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium may be implemented in a centralized, distributed, or logicaldivision that may include a single physical memory device or multiplephysical memory devices spread across one or multiple devices.

To the extent the aforementioned embodiments collect, store, or employpersonal information of individuals, such information shall becollected, stored, and used in accordance with all applicable lawsconcerning protection of personal information. Additionally, thecollection, storage and use of such information can be subject toconsent of the individual to such activity, for example, through wellknown “opt-in” or “opt-out” processes as can be appropriate for thesituation and type of information. Collection, storage, and use ofpersonal information can be in an appropriately secure manner reflectiveof the type of information, for example, through various encryption andanonymization techniques for particularly sensitive information.

No element, act, or instruction described in this description should beconstrued as critical or essential to the embodiments described hereinunless explicitly described as such.

All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the variousaspects set forth in this disclosure that are known or later come to beknown are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended tobe encompassed by the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: calculating, by a networkdevice, time values for geo-bins of a first radio access network (RAN)device based on network information and data volume values associatedwith the geo-bins; and generating, by the network device based on thetime values, radio frequency (RF) design information for the geo-bins.2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the geo-bins is a geographicsegmentation of the first RAN device's wireless coverage area.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the network information includes trafficinformation and location information associated with end devices.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the time values indicate time periods thatresources of the first RAN device are used.
 5. The method of claim 1,further comprising: determining, by the network device, that each timevalue of the time values does not satisfy a threshold time value.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the RF design information includes a locationfor a second RAN device that is to be prospectively added to providewireless coverage in the geo-bins.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein thecalculating comprises: calculating, by the network device, the timevalues based on a ratio between data volume values and performancemetric values associated with the geo-bins.
 8. The method of claim 1,further comprising: calculating, by the network device, return oninvestment values for the geo-bins based on the network information andbilling information associated with end devices, and determining, by thenetwork device, to generate the RF design information for the geo-binsbased on the time values and the return on investment values.
 9. Adevice comprising: a processor configured to: calculate time values forgeo-bins of a first radio access network (RAN) device based on networkinformation and data volume values associated with the geo-bins; andgenerate based on the time values, radio frequency (RF) designinformation for the geo-bins.
 10. The device of claim 9, wherein each ofthe geo-bins is a geographic segmentation of the first RAN device'swireless coverage area.
 11. The device of claim 9, wherein the networkinformation includes traffic information and location informationassociated with end devices.
 12. The device of claim 9, wherein the timevalues indicate time periods that resources of the first RAN device areused.
 13. The device of claim 9, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to: determine that each time value of the time values doesnot satisfy a threshold time value.
 14. The device of claim 9, whereinthe RF design information includes a location for a second RAN devicethat is to be prospectively added to provide wireless coverage in thegeo-bins.
 15. The device of claim 9, wherein to calculate, the processoris further configured to: calculate the time values based on a ratiobetween data volume values and performance metric values associated withthe geo-bins.
 16. The device of claim 9, wherein the processor isfurther configured to: calculate a return on investment value for thegeo-bins based on the network information and billing informationassociated with end devices, and determine to generate the RF designinformation for the geo-bins based on the time values and the return oninvestment values.
 17. A non-transitory, computer-readable storagemedium storing instructions executable by a processor of a device, whichwhen executed cause the device to: calculate time values for geo-bins ofa radio access network (RAN) device based on network information anddata volume values associated with the geo-bins; and generate based onthe time values, radio frequency (RF) design information for thegeo-bins.
 18. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 17, wherein the time values indicate time periods that resourcesof the RAN device are used.
 19. The non-transitory, computer-readablestorage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions to calculatefurther comprise instructions, which when executed cause the device to:calculate the time values based on a ratio between data volume valuesand performance metric values associated with the geo-bins.
 20. Thenon-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, whereinthe instructions further comprise instructions, which when executedcause the device to: determine that each time value of the time valuesdoes not satisfy a threshold time value.